Hedy Lamarr: Brains and Beauty!

[3113]

Interesting new book out on 40's film actress Hedy Lamarr focusing not on her film career but on how she came up with the "spread spectrum radio," a technology that lets us talk on mobile phones among other things:

Hedy Lamarr, a legend of Hollywood's Golden Age and siren of the silver screen who starred in movies such as "Algiers," "White Cargo" and "Samson and Delilah" in the late 1930s and '40s, is remembered today mostly for her exquisite feminine pulchritude. Think of her as the Farrah Fawcett (the red bathing suit pinup-poster version) of her day — a Viennese-born actress whose physical attributes earned her the sobriquet of "the most beautiful woman in the world."

And, in the seven decades since Lamarr's heyday, there's been no small amount of ink spilled chronicling nearly every aspect of her life and career. But there's a lesser-known facet of the actress' life that's rarely been focused on in much depth: Her penchant for inventing and how, in 1942, she came to be co-holder of a patent on spread spectrum radio, a technology that underlies modern conveniences mobile and cordless telephones, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Put in modern context, it's like crediting Fawcett as the one who developed Google's proprietary search algorithm.

How's that for sexy?

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/41400_580647425_5777_n.jpg

Full story here.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I knew about her torpedo but the scatter radio was new to me. Brilliant woman. More of us should have such hobbies.

 

[jomar]

Put in modern context, it's like crediting Fawcett as the one who developed Google's proprietary search algorithm.

...

 

[TE999]

Beauty and brains ... an unbeatable combination ... sadly lacking in today's feminine crop of so-called 'stars'. They all have opinions on everything, but there's no thought, or better yet, intellect behind them.

 

[PayDay]

+1 for Mel Brooks.

That's Hed-Ley!

http://www.wizardsofaz.com/guitars/images/governor.jpg

 

[Stella_Omega]

Beauty and brains ... an unbeatable combination ... sadly lacking in today's feminine crop of so-called 'stars'. They all have opinions on everything, but there's no thought, or better yet, intellect behind them.

Which was equally true in Hedy's day. And is a phenomenon not confined to today's feminine crop of stars, but to the masculine as well-- not to mention most of the hoi polloi.

But there are always exceptions. I'll think of one... in a minute...

Wait, it's on the tip of my tongue...